Level Up Legacy Chapter 13
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"Well… I wouldn't call it bullying. He just vents his anger by beating me up." Oren scratched his face innocently. Arthur didn't know how to tell his brother this was the definition of bullying.
"Okay. I'll talk to this dude after I get into the academy. For now, keep away from him. Oh, and… Do you like this girl? Excluding whether you're worthy or not." Arthur asked and waited for his brother to answer. All he got, however, was a red face.
Later, as he was back in his room, Arthur placed the suitcase on his desk. It had the gear his father left him. With a click, the suitcase opened, revealing old equipment and a nostalgic past. A grey hard-leathered armor greeted him, and a sword with several scratches, bespeaking of its age. It was what Arthur's father, Seref, left behind for Arthur to use.
These were his first equipment, and they held many memories, making Arthur feel proud of having them. Although his father had no use for them after getting stronger and conquering stronger dungeons, he still held onto this equipment as he had bought them with blood and tears. It was his father's dream for Arthur to use these once he awakened, and now his father wasn't here to be proud.
***
The Furlair dungeon was an ancient one, as it was one of the first to open since three hundred years ago. However, it was never fully cleared as the Dungeon was only the periphery of a far more dangerous mountain range beyond the gates.
According to the union, the mountain range held calamity-grade monsters that they didn't dare to provoke. That's why no one ever conquered Furlair, and monsters kept pouring in from beyond the gate.
However, as it was a low-ranked dungeon, its monsters were mostly unranked. They were round beasts with full-body fur and sharp claws, hence the name Furlair. Their body was weak, and that allowed neo-rankers to hunt them as a safe beginner monster.
Arthur was no different, as his father also started here. A single monster was worth 100 Yalveran dollars; he needed to hunt ten by the end of the week to pay the bank.
"ID?" The guard's tone was monotonous, evidence of the times he asked this question. Arthur showed him the Union's ID, and he was allowed entry without further questions. What laid beyond the giant metal gate was a massive cave with many pathways leading somewhere.
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The cave's ceiling was probably 20 meters high, and that was incomparable to its area. Arthur looked around in amazement, and his behavior and probably his eyes drew clear attention.
There were no monsters around, so he chose a less crowded pathway and went deeper inside. The path diverged into more trails, and they further divided into several more, and some merged with the original pathway.
It was easy to get lost, so Arthur tried his best to remember the route he took. Thankfully, he started seeing signs leading back to the entrance and some dangerous places he needed to watch out for. After a while, he finally found an empty pathway with no sign indicating anything abnormal.
Arthur's nose pricked at the smell of manure, notifying him that the monsters weren't far. He kept heading inside until he started hearing screeches and clanking, making him stick his back against a wall. He then slowly advanced and peeked in a pathway.
His eyes caught the sight of three small fur balls moving about and jumping as they feasted on a one-meter worm. Two of them were further away, and they were the ones screeching at each other while the third was closer to Arthur, quietly nibbling away the carcass.
Picking up a rock from the ground, the nervous young awakener aimed at the monster closest to him. With newly heightened senses, his arm arched and darted across the air, releasing the rock from his grasp.
The projectile tore across the air and landed squarely on the body of the distracted monster, enough to draw its attention and ire. It screeched a few times, but the other two were too busy arguing that they missed their friend's behavior. The now irritated monster traipsed toward the location where Arthur was hiding.
Arthur knew he couldn't take three of them at the same time, not yet at least. That's why he hid in another pathway as he waited for the monster to emerge. The monster didn't disappoint, and it came as expected, only to be confused by the empty path. Arthur waited for it to turn his head before he struck it with another rock, luring it closer to himself.
The monster drew near, and Arthur tightened his grip around the handle of an already unsheathed sword. His heart quickened, and he directed his energy toward the sword, hoping the ore didn't break over time. The sword lit with a faint glow, and the monster seemed to notice the change in the air. However, Arthur didn't allow it to fall back and leaped forward as he slashed at the beast.
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"the nauseating feeling of cutting through flesh traveled up his arm, making him feel sick, but he held strong. Blood splashed the ground, and a pained screech echoed through the pathway, the latter making Arthur realize he had little time.
The monster's survival instinct seemed to kick in as he leaped toward Arthur with a wounded abdomen, trying to hack his leg. Arthur jumped backward after a short pause he took after his first strike, a mistake on his part.
The monster missed, but it leaped again toward Arthur, who could now see the other two coming from the other pathway. Arthur decided to strike at the incoming monster's claw, parrying it successfully before taking a step forward and raising his arms to strike again.
As his strike descended, the monster finally died. The other two came running over, so he kicked the body of the one he had slain over one of the incoming two.
[Strength-I] and [Agility-I] were activated as Arthur imprinted them on his body before he dashed forward. His body found new strength as he felt lighter and faster, full of power.
As one of them stumbled and was pushed back, Arthur attacked the other one with a horizontal slash that ended its life. He then jumped out of the attack range of the last one before stabbing with his sword forward. His technique was flimsy, but he had enough stats to make it up. He had slain the last monster effectively.
[You have leveled up. New Rune Acquired: Protection -I.]
Arthur breathed in and out as he was exhausted in both mana and stamina. He laid on the ground and checked the surrounding before he activated his Legacy Rune, Absorb.
[Your agility has been increased by 1.]
[Your agility has been increased by 1.]
[Your agility has been increased by 1.]
It seems that what he absorbs depends on the monster's best forte. That is being agility for the Fur monsters. Arthur was glad he picked this one as it was different from the Sins Dungeon.
First, it was an open field dungeon, so it had no lairs. Second, it was mostly unranked monsters that Arthur could take on. And third, the boss hasn't been killed yet to avoid a far stronger monster emerging from the gate. So it was sufficient that they keep on clearing the minions for now, as that would keep the monsters on track and avoid a dungeon break.
As he looked at his new Stats, Arthur could feel himself becoming stronger. He added the point he got from leveling up to Mana straight away as it would allow him to cast more runes.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 3 (0%)]
[Strength: 14]
[Agility: 16]
[Stamina: 14]
[Perception: 10]
[Mana: 1/3]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (1%), Useable Runes: 5]
[Skills: None]
[Stats Points: 0]
[Protection-I: This rune would protect you from physical attacks for 5 seconds. Applies defense that equals your strength stat. Mana Cost: 10% of your Strength stat.]
His last rune was a very useful one, as it allows him to deal damage without being harmed for 5 seconds. He doubted any unranked monster would have a strength greater than 14.
However, he could only use this once with another basic rune or twice without using another one. It seems this would cost more as he would be immune to attacks lower than his strength stat. So, in theory, the stronger he is, the stronger his defense can be with this rune.
If he became the strongest person in the world, then he can cast this rune, and no harm would befall him. However, the stronger he is, the more this rune would cost in terms of mana.
As Arthur mulled over it, he found this rune to be highly balanced. He would give up what equals 10% of his strength stat in mana to gain protection equaling his strength stat. For example, if he had 100 strength points, he would use 10 mana points to gain immunity against attacks of the same level. Only physical attacks, of course.
Arthur began to hop in his place to test his new agility. His reflexes were faster, and so was the movement he made. If strength was how hard your strike is, then agility would be how fast it will be delivered.
After his mana refilled after 15 minutes, he was ready to hunt again. He still hasn't learned any techniques to replenish his mana, so he had to wait for it to do so naturally.
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My Fusion System: Fusing a Thousand Chickens at the Start
Traversing into a Fantasy World, Watson became the youngest son of a run-down baron, ranked eight in the family. His mother was confined to her bed by sickness, his father was drinking all day, his brothers and sisters were not doing proper jobs, and even the family’s position of baron was on the verge of being stripped away. As the family’s decline loomed closer, Watson acquired the [Super Fusion System] out of the blue! At the family’s only remaining chicken farm, Watson conducted Fusion on the 1,000 sickly hens. “Ding, congratulations, you have fused a high-level demon beast [Pentacolor Fragrant Chicken]. Its eggs are so nutritious that they can extend one's life span and are considered a delicacy that only lords and kings can enjoy!” Watson made a huge profit out of this. Utilizing the system, he embarked on a journey of becoming a tycoon! “Ding, congratulations, you have fused 10,000 wheat heads into an ingredient that can permanently strengthen a person’s physique!” “Ding, congratulations, you have fused 10,000 kilograms of metal scrap into a Divine Weapon [Sword of the Flame Pursuer]!” “Ding, congratulations, you have fused 100,000 rats into a Divine-level Demon Pet [Sky-devouring Rat King]!” No gold coins? Fuse them! No potent potions? Fuse them! No super magic or powerful henchmen? Fuse them! From then on, Watson led his family to develop continuously in this world of swords and magic until it became an overlord!
8 2249Cowboys and Wizards
Currently in queue: Episode 12 in progress. Set in the Aurora: Apocalypse universe.Updated every Wednesday. If it's not updating, I'm working on my other fictions.If nothing's updating, I ran out of whiskey. Be patient. Cowboys and Wizards is a hot mess of garbage that should not be taken seriously by anyone. It’s a vaguely-GameLit spoof of Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomoni (In Another World With My Smartphone) where the MC ends up in another world and fused with his crappy smartphone, mashed up with fantasy western elements. Dungeons & Dragons meets the Wild West in an alternate high-fantasy timeline. Guns & Goblins. Cowboys & Wizards. Locomotives & Dwarves. Don’t expect great writing, accurate numbers, or common sense. Hell, don’t expect anything — just relax and let it happen.
8 107Convergence Series
Eulisses Malinor is a prodigious and somewhat reclusive wizard with an unconventional outlook on life itself. The latter may or may not be related to him shedding the burdens of mortality some time ago. He claims that every wizard that takes pride in themself needs to reside in a tower in the middle of nowhere. It definitely has nothing to do with the Addia fanatics that continue to seek him out. Successfuly, much to his discontent. Ever out to ‘cleanse’ him, or bloody murder him if you'd ask the lich himself. But soon, that will no longer be a problem, as Eulisses has finally gathered every reagent - magical or otherwise he needs. He will tear open and stabilize a miniature Rift, essentially creating his very-own pocket realm in which even Addia’s gaze will no longer be able to reach him. Everything has been carefully planned out in advance, so there is no possibility of failure. You can maybe then imagine his bafflement, when instead of the nothingness of his successfully created pocket realm, Eulisses finds himself in a quite holy looking hall, amidst quite too-baffled looking fellows, in the centre of a gigantic summoning circle - allegedly, he cannot read the runes that make it up - and facing a young and quite fair maiden that stares at him quite wide-eyed.
8 93An Unknown World
In the far future humanity begun expanding its borders and the colonization of the universe began. Many youths have decided to take on the opportunity of becoming the vanguards of humankind and Ward was no different.
8 222I Came, I Ran
As they were summoned, the old king in front of them said to the "Young heroes, I have summoned you here to fulfill a great prophecy, you have to defeat a coming evil, foretold by the by our High Priest, Ursum." The heroes, as observed by the king, looked around the room, and said out loud "Where are we?" "You are in the great kingdom of Vo-". Unfortunatley the king stopped before he could end the sentence. There was a dagger sticking out of his skull... -------------- This is my first story, constructive critism is appreciated and wanted. So please, help me, I am drowning in a thing called incompetence.
8 156How Far I'll Go
"It's just my family I guess." Tommy mumbled upset."What's wrong with your family?" Mr Awe asked, feeling confused. "I don't think it's what's wrong with them, I'm beginning to think it's what's wrong with me." Tommy answered, not looking up to meet his teacher's eyes. "What do you mean by that, Tommy?" The older asked, spinning around in his chair to show Tommy that he had his full attention and would be listened to. "It's just- like- I show them how well I'm doing in school and they don't even care! Like aren't parents meant to be proud of their children or something? That's what I hear but my dad is never proud of me! It's always 'Wilbur this' or 'Techno that' but it's never about Tommy! Am I not good enough for them or something?" Tommy blurted out before he could stop himself. It was like once he got one word out, the rest just came tumbling after. He had waited his whole life to get this off his chest and he had finally found a willing listener. OR, Tommy Craft is a neglected eleven year old who just wants somebody to listen to him. And he finds a few people while enjoying doing something he loves.
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